Territory
by Erica T
Summary: Robin Brooks was a woman on a mission.


AN: I was just blown away by the amazing feedback I got from my last Numb3rs story. So much so that it got me writing out more of my plotbunnies, and here we have one that I am happy with. So, thanks everybody for the wonderful reviews and when the bunnies aren't hopping around in my head I'll find the time to respond to each of you individually.

I find that I am partial to the Don/Robin relationship, so that's what you'll probably see most from me. Eventually I want to write something longer and more serious that goes a little deeper into it, but for now I'm going to stick with the more lighthearted stuff.

And before I go on, I want to point out that I have nothing against Liz, she's a particular brand of awesome, and if I ever had to go into battle, I'd definitely want her on my side. However, she's also an ex-girlfriend who happens to be very attractive, and I think most women find that somewhat threatening, no matter how secure they are in themselves.

This one isn't the same kind of humor as Geeks Bearing Gifts, but I still think it's funny.

Territory

Robin Brooks was a woman on a mission.

She had never been one for water cooler gossip, it reminded her too much of high school and the inherent stupidity that came with being a teenager. She liked to think that she was beyond that these days, now that she'd reached her thirties with a successful career. However, that didn't mean that some of the juicy office talk didn't reach her ears from time to time, and while most of what she heard made her laugh, the latest tidbit to register on her radar was making her crazy.

Agent Liz Warner was being assigned to Don's team temporarily to fill the hole that Megan Reeves had left until a suitable profiler could be identified as a replacement. There were conflicting stories, ranging from her having been a rebound fling to the love of his life, but one thing was constant, everyone agreed that she still carried some kind of torch for Don Eppes.

On one level, Robin did know something about that. Getting over Don Eppes was next to impossible. The man got under your skin. He was every inch the Alpha male, the kind of man that a strong and independent woman wasn't supposed to be attracted to, but was anyway because it was just so thrilling. He was also loyal and caring, and every bit as vulnerable as the next human being when he let himself feel it. That kind of combination was quite irresistible. It also didn't hurt that he was very easy on the eyes. Especially when wearing a pair of well fitting jeans and a Kevlar vest.

She had tried valiantly to put him behind her, to the point of putting the entire country between them, but she had known that they would cross paths again, and when they did, she would be drawn back in. She still wasn't quite sure what had been going on in her head when she had agreed to try again with him, but she had.

All the same, she had worked at this relationship twice now, and if the gossip was right, she would be damned if she was going to let some other ex-girlfriend weasel in on her territory.

It was irrational, she knew that. If it was any other woman, she wouldn't be marching into the FBI building like she had the hounds of hell on her tail. Hell, if it was any other woman, she would have laughed it all off with him later on in bed. But she had worked with Liz Warner before. She was tough, determined and just as intent on her career as Robin was, exactly the kind of woman that Robin respected as an equal in this business. They had even been bordering on being friends. But, she was also younger, exotically attractive, and had been the woman that had shared Don's bed after she had.

Robin knew she was probably overreacting, and she knew as she stalked into the bullpen that she was probably going to make some kind of a scene, but in to her currently slightly irrational mind, Liz Warner was too much of a threat to take lightly. And that meant doing something drastic, and probably very uncharacteristic.

She didn't see her at first, or anyone else from his team. Just Don's back as he stood at his desk shuffling through some paperwork. He looked like he was finishing up something, but since getting involved again, they didn't work many of the same cases, so she couldn't be sure of where he was on what he was working on.

Then she did see her. She was getting coffee in the lounge with Sinclair and Granger.

Perfect. If she timed this right, it would work out so much easier than she thought it would, and it would be much less obvious to the rest of the world, though she knew that Don would pick up on something. He wasn't a top notch FBI agent for nothing.

She waited, lurking like some kind of delinquent, just on the edge of the bullpen until the woman was making her way back in. Then she approached Don's desk like a lioness hunting her prey.

She was in full view of the rest of his team when she came up from behind him and slid around his body to plant a firm kiss on his lips, her arms securely latched around his neck. He was surprised, she could feel it in his response, but his hands left the papers on his desk and landed on her back and in her hair the way that they normally did.

When she pulled back, she ignored the surprised stares of the rest of the team. Usually they were both too professional to indulge in public displays of affection. Especially in one of their offices. Well, that was only under normal circumstances, and she was trying to send a message here.

"Hi." She said with a smile that she suspected was a bit too bright. He still smiled back at her.

"Hi. What's up?" He answered.

"I'm done for the day. You up for some dinner? I'm cooking." She offered. If he didn't already suspect that something was up, he would know now. Neither of them ever offered to cook. They rarely had time for anything much more interesting than basic nutrition. He blinked at her and surreptitiously glanced around them, taking in the sight of his gawking team members, and then he winked at her.

"Well, can't refuse that. After you." He said, turning her loose, collecting his papers and locking his desk up with a flourish. She greeted his team members as if nothing at all out of the ordinary had just occurred, made small talk with them while she waited for him to shrug into his jacket. She didn't look at Liz Warner until they were on their way out. When they did lock eyes, the other woman narrowed hers slightly, but nodded almost imperceptibly.

Oh yes, message received. No question about it, Don Eppes was now officially property of Robin Brooks.

She wondered if he'd let her write that on him in permanent ink.


End file.
